From the visually arresting overture to the film’s staggering final moments, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia stands, in my mind, as the single greatest narrative film of 2011. Von Trier, known for consistently delivering the most emotionally-exhausting of films, imbues this exploration of (what else?) melancholia with just the right amount of levity and spectacle to make this his most widely accessible film by far. With a stellar cast and Von Trier’s visual prowess at its peak, Melancholia is certainly nothing short of a masterpiece.

The film follows sisters Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), for each of whom one half of the film is arbitrarily (and somewhat misleadingly) named, as they attempt to cope with melancholia on both personal and galactic levels. Justine, whose wedding constitutes the first half of the film, suffers from crippling depression, the extent of which only becomes apparent in the latter half of the film as the planet Melancholia hurtles toward the Earth. Justine’s wedding serves to establish the dynamic of the sisters’ family through a lengthy series of brief yet subtextually rich interactions between the guests. Having thus developed the characters over the course of Justine’s “happy day,” Von Trier places these characters in a polar opposite situation, one of danger and despair. That this situation involves a fictional, yet totally plausible and apparently scientifically accurate, galactic catastrophe only makes the film that much more interesting and visually engaging. The film boasts some spectacuFrom the visually arresting overture to the film’s staggering final moments, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia stands, in my mind, as the single greatest narrative film of 2011. Von Trier, known for consistently delivering the most emotionally-exhausting of films, imbues this exploration of (what else?) melancholia with just the right amount of levity and spectacle to make this his most widely accessible film by far. With a stellar cast and Von Trier’s visual prowess at its peak, Melancholia is certainly nothing short of a masterpiece.

Kirsten Dunst took home the award for Best Actress at the 64th Cannes Film Festival, delivering the standout performance of her career to date. Gainsbourg too, a Von Trier veteran (of Antichrist), is spectacular in her own right. And Von Trier also garners a phenomenal performance from Kiefer Sutherland as Claire’s husband, John, an amateur astronomer who swears that Melancholia will pass by Earth. Alexander Skarsgård, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Udo Kier, and Brady Corbet also appear in the first half of the film.

If I were to identify ANY problems with the film, I would say that the dividing of the film into the two chapters titled “Justine” and “Claire” undercuts the importance of the second half of the film to our understanding of Justine’s character. Additionally, Von Trier’s comments at Melancholia‘s Cannes Premiere tarnished the film’s reputation before it was released to wide audience, which constitutes a cinematic tragedy. I would advise anyone reticent to view the film based on Von Trier’s comments to forget whatever you may have heard him say at Cannes, in poor taste or otherwise, because Melancholia should not be missed.

The special features on the Magnolia home release of Melancholia include:
-About Melancholia
-The Universe
-The Visual Style
-Visual Effects
-HDNet: A Look at Melancholia
-Theatrical Trailers

Jef is a writer and educator in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a degree in Media & Cinema Studies from DePaul University, but sometimes he drops it and picks it back up again. He's also the Editor-in-Chief of FilmMonthly.com and is fueled entirely by coffee (as if you couldn't tell).